7 Sandwiches You Should Probably Avoid Ordering At Subway

With around 20,000 shops in the United States alone, Subway is one of the most prominent sandwich chains in the country. Known for its endless customizations, employees are considered "sandwich artists" and will build your sub exactly the way you want it. Of course, you can also order off the existing sandwich menu, but it turns out that some of these on-menu staples are less than desirable according to customer reviews.

There's a belief that genius ordering hacks can right the ship, but many of these widely-panned subs are beyond such help. As we'll uncover in our methodology at the end of the article, these subs are consistently flagged by guests as being poor quality, with negative feedback appearing most often. Let's see why — as reviews published in the last year decree — that customers say you should avoid ordering these seven sandwiches from Subway. 

The B.M.T. is a Subway sandwich with a name that has stood for a few different things throughout its time on the menu, including "Bigger, Meatier, Tastier." It features sliced Genoa salami, Black Forest Ham, spicy pepperoni, Italian bread, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, and mild Provolone. Despite its many delicious ingredients, this sandwich is not appreciated by customers.

Recent discussions pinpoint the Italian sub as a bust. First of all, the name signals a large sandwich is in order. In reality, the subs are very sparse on those coveted meats. Several posted evidence of the scrawny sandwiches they received on Facebook, with skimpy, razor-thin cuts to show for it. 

Others, like this Reddit commenter, expressed shock at the blandness: "I was expecting something with more flavor," they wrote. Especially for a sandwich with so many toppings, it's surprising how bland and scrawny this sandwich it seems to be. 

Walking in, you'll notice Subway's menu favors both hot and cold sandwiches, not necessarily favoring one or the other. And a signature choice that's difficult to imagine ever disappearing is the one and only Meatball sub. It's a footlong many are nostalgic over, but taking a rose-tinted view hides how diners across the country dislike it these days.

In general, reviews pan the sandwich for good reason. One Facebook post accused the chain of diluting its marinara, writing: "The sauce tastes terrible; it's PINK, like they added water to it." Others blasted the meatballs outright. Most say they've shrunken in size, and restaurants have an annoying habit of shorting guests on the portion, compensating with a higher ratio of sauce to actual meatballs. But if you get the correct amount, the quality is usually too poor to enjoy them. One Reddit said: "The meatballs taste so watery and weird I spit it out and threw it away." 

If the Italian-American staple is your go-to, now's the time to find a new joint. Maybe it's unfair to compare, but plenty of the best meatball subs in the U.S. won't be slinging frozen meatballs or soupy marinara. To Subway's shame, we'll be steering clear of it on future sandwich runs. 

Subway just isn't the place to grab cheesesteaks, apparently. We grouped together its entire category — the Steak Philly, the Chipotle Philly, and the Cheesy Garlic — because, among internet commenters, few seemed inclined to defend the chain's attempt. A bulk of the issues essentially target the steak — it's awful and comes in measly portions, if we're being honest – leading to a dry, unremarkable meal.

A rule of thumb for a shaved beef-based sammie is that it shouldn't taste artificial or rubbery. Subway fails that right off the bat, to guests' chagrin. "WORST excuse for a Philly steak sandwich you could imagine," ranted one customer on Facebook. "ABOUT one third of the meat and cheese of a REAL hoagie, very little onions and peppers. Absolutely a terrible sandwich," they added.

Chowhound's Nikki Cervone (who, mind you, was raised in Philly) reacted similarly; when assessing cheesesteak sandwiches from a variety of chains, Subway's offering was the biggest abomination by a mile. It might be low-hanging fruit to pick on a commercial chain restaurant, but the judgments, harsh as they are, are valid.

If you're craving the towering kind of hoagie requiring both hands, the Cold Cut Combo from Subway might sound like a tempting prospect. Before digging in, though, skimming the feedback of late shows you might wanna pass on it. One of the primary issues is that people feel misled by the name. "Cold cuts" usually refer to salty charcuterie meats, like salami or prosciutto (here's what deli meats go on a true Italian sandwich). Instead, Subway advertises folded ham, salami, and bologna — and not only that, they're actually made out of turkey. Yes, turkey. 

Evidently, most commenters regret purchasing this sandwich for reasons beyond confusing marketing. The proteins are slammed for tasting processed and bland beyond any repair. Just listen to how one Facebook user put it and decide for yourself: "The meat was the most vile textured (slimy), tasteless (literally, no flavor), homogenized crap I have ever put in my mouth." Another diner was unsettled by the meat's gray sheen, believing the slices on their sandwich had turned.

Don't get it twisted: guests can absolutely tweak the sub to their liking. There's already provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and onions to work with, but the chain offers extras that could give this sammie some lift — think olive oil or fresh avocado. Without them? Don't bother. 

You'd think a sandwich spot wouldn't get dragged for its BLT. It's the most basic of all sandwiches. Yet due to how Subway processes food purchases, the bacon, lettuce, tomato sub might arrive with just the bacon — and nothing else. "Apparently, when the employee asks what veggies you want, you have to reiterate that you want lettuce and tomato with your BACON LETTUCE TOMATO sandwich that you're ordering," vented a Facebook user.

However, the story isn't much better if you do get the sandwich intact. Subway's garnishes have a pattern of looking down on its luck, with consumers noting soggy lettuce and watery, forlorn tomato slices. Most of the ire, though, is aimed at the bacon, with the common gripes being that it's floppy, pink, and raw-looking. One reviewer even said the sandwich made them ill. 

For reference, locations don't actually sizzle the bacon themselves — they use microwavable strips. Pre-cooked meats are beyond convenient for sandwich-building en masse, but evidently, it doesn't lead to a sub we should purchase. (Theoretically, the right add-on could offer a path to improving Subway's BLT). But between the weak foundation and flawed ordering system, it's not one we'd salvage.

Tuna is a no-brainer for any build-your-own sub joint. Subway's version is combined with mayonnaise to amp up the creaminess, and then stuffed on Artisan Italian bread. Perhaps you remember that lawsuit from 2021 accusing the franchise of using phony tuna. While it was dismissed in 2023, and the chain says it uses 100% wild-caught tuna, there's still enough about this sandwich to garner low scores.

It's clear a lot of diners just aren't fans of its strong, aquarium aroma. "It is so fishy, I feel like I'm swimming in the ocean," a TikTok reviewer said. There's also an excessive amount of moisture, which one Facebook poster said causes it to soak into the bread. The flavor could also be bolder, though customers are equally prone to receiving batches that are unpleasantly heavy on the salt.

When ordering the sub as sold, it does come with toppings. The chain piles on shredded lettuce, tomato, and red onions with slices of provolone cheese — but even those aren't a guarantee. As one person on Yelp found: "I basically had tuna smear on white bread with a little bit of vegetables, very pathetic!" 

Supply chains went a bit topsy-turvy during the pandemic, and saw eateries of all sizes pulling back. In Subway's case, it was the roast beef — an uncomplicated choice for any grab-and-go lunch — that ended up departing the assembly line in 2020. Did it return? Yes. But something clearly changed, since reports — by diners, at least — indicate the lunchmeat just hasn't been up to par.

There's something problematic about a dry sandwich, but the Roast Beef is alarmingly parched and gristly. One customer was so repulsed, they uploaded a video to Reddit of the offending sandwich, describing how it flaked apart on contact: "I pulled the meat out of the sandwich and it literally disintegrates in my hand like Play-Doh," they said. Plus, there's just not a lot on it. Barring the cold garnishes like lettuce or Provolone cheese, you're not left with much of the meat, as inedible as it is, to make it worth the price. 

Chowhound's Michelle McGlinn offered complaints of her own when she judged five chain roast beef subs. Her verdict on Subway's option attested to the middling quality, which stood out like a sore thumb compared to franchises that put more care into building good sandwiches. While she didn't find it detestable, the chain still wound up in last. 

Tracking down the Subway sandwiches worth avoiding required a game plan. We wanted to decipher widespread issues with each sub, going beyond pure subjectivity (although such opinions were welcome in our analysis). So we scoured a lot of feedback, leaning on testimonies from social media to see what people were thinking. Facebook, Yelp, and Reddit were the most fruitful, but we also gathered up-to-date impressions from videos on YouTube and TikTok.

It's one thing to just hate a sandwich because it's nasty. But we also pursued more measurable factors, too — for instance, whether or not the sub was a good value for the money. Arguments will always prevail over the greatness or grotesqueness of any item — nonetheless, nothing's more disappointing than an awful lunch. We hope this compels readers to be more choosy the next time "eating fresh" is on the table.